American International College has made a big addition to its athletics programs by adding acrobatics and tumbling to varsity sports. AIC announced that acrobatics and tumbling will begin in the spring of 2024-25. AIC has recruited Patrick McFarlin to be the head coach of acrobatics and tumbling. The Yellow Jackets are excited to show the talent and dedication in the upcoming season.

For those who don’t know what acrobatics and tumbling is, it’s a combination of gymnastics and cheerleading. The team has been practicing their stunts and routines and they’re ready to show their passion, commitment, and dedication on the mat for their upcoming season.

I met with coach Patrick McFarlin to talk about acrobatics and tumbling on how the team is feeling about the upcoming season and how are they holding up. Coach McFarlin stated, “I feel acrobatics and tumbling is a great opportunity for female athletes to get scholarship opportunities and to continue their sport dreams in college. I think it is also a great program for all the [students] who did get to participate in sports but were not necessarily considered for scholarship opportunities in college… This program opens a lot of doors for female athletes who do have the potential and drive to continue in college. I think our team is doing well. I think we are focused, driven, and working towards our routine, and excited for our first [competitive] year.” Coach McFarlin has done gymnastics for 22 years. He pushes the team to reach their best potential and trains them for their upcoming season.

While meeting up with Coach McFarlin, I also met with student-athlete, Kailey Arroyo. She told me that she did cheer in high school, which helps her a lot when it comes to practicing and doing her routines. Arroyo stated, “Acrobatics and tumbling is something new to me and I was a little unsure about it at first, but I like the team. I did cheer in high school, and we never had a pre-season like we do in acro. I like it because it gets us prepared for the spring instead of packing everything we need to learn for the last minute. I do miss cheer though, because we used to more complicated skills, and I just miss getting ready for comps. I don’t feel pressured. I have faith that we’ll do just fine if everyone is committed and willing to put the work in.” Arroyo expresses her dedication and joy on the mat with her teammates and she can’t wait for the upcoming season.

While talking to Coach McFarlin and Arroyo, I got to meet another student athlete who does acrobatics and tumbling, Esperanza Rivera. She expressed her love for cheerleading and doing her best to learn a new sport. Rivera stated, “I feel that acrobatics and tumbling is interesting. Everyone has their strengths along with their weaknesses and we all strive to help each other grow. It’s a [team of] growing, supportive, and dedicated athletes who are trying their best to learn a new sport. I have participated in cheerleading for the past fourteen years of my life. It has provided me with benefits when participating in acrobatics and tumbling. I’m very familiar with the stunting aspect because of cheerleading, as well as tumbling. The differences begin with cheerleading. You have a two-minute thirty-second routine with seven different elements to meet the criteria of the judging rubric. Where in acrobatics and tumbling it takes those elements and makes them their own individual events with multiple heats in each event. I don’t feel any pressure because I know it’s a learning year. Everyone is brand new to this and it’s a first-year team.”

The whole team is excited to show their dedication on the mat and show their love for the sport. The acrobatics and tumbling team is buzzing with anticipation and their first season is coming up in February. The team has been through many training sessions, improving their strength and becoming a family. Fans and community members are looking forward to the incredible talent and creativity that acrobatics and tumbling will bring to AIC as the team prepares for its first season. The girls are excited to show off their dedication and passion on the mat this season.